Ch58.1 - How about I marry you then?

In less than a day, Jian Mei had already grasped the foundational rules and system of this country and planet.

This country was a monarchy where slavery wasn’t just legal but entirely normalized. Unlike his homeland, it was common here for children under 18 to work or struggle to make a living. The system resembled ancient times in some ways, but unlike the past, the technology here was highly advanced—so advanced that he found himself unable to use much of it.

Aunt Wu guided the group on a tour of the entire estate, showing them their future work areas. The main purpose was to ensure they became familiar with the paths to avoid getting lost when running errands or performing their duties later.

While passing the garden, Jian Mei was awestruck by the vibrant flowers in bloom. He thought he saw butterflies fluttering between them. But upon closer inspection, he couldn’t help but gasp.

Aunt Wu said, “The flower fairies here need a perfectly quiet environment. Be sure to remain quiet when you pass through. Understood?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The garden was filled with flowers, and further inside was the main hall. In the main hall stood an enormous statue with a human torso and a horse’s body, exuding an air of grandeur and majesty.

Aunt Wu performed three bows, touched her forehead, and knelt in deep reverence before standing. “This is the deity worshiped by our master. From now on, it will also be the deity you serve. Remember to offer greetings and pay respect to it every day.”

Everyone followed suit, bowing and kneeling in worship.

Jian Mei was also pulled by Xiao Ban to worship, but he was completely bewildered as he found himself worshiping a deity he’d never heard of before.

While the group was listening, they suddenly heard footsteps from the nearby garden path. They turned towards the sound and saw a middle-aged man dressed in a gray robe. The hem of his robe was embroidered with intricate designs that shimmered in the light with every movement. He had a small mustache beneath his nose and his shoulder-length hair was loosely tied back with a simple tie.

Aunt Wu hurriedly went over, bowed respectfully, and said, “Welcome back, Master Jiasi.”

Master Jiasi nodded and glanced at the group of children. He asked, “Are these the new servants?”

Aunt Wu replied affirmatively.

“Not bad,” said Master Jiasi, who was being followed by several people behind. He accepted the water offered by Aunt Wu, took a sip, and then added, “Teach them proper manners and make sure no one is involved in anything shady.”

Aunt Wu quickly smiled and assured him. “Rest assured, I’ll make sure everything is arranged.”

Master Jiasi nodded. Before leaving, he instructed, “Tell the cook to set up lunch in the back garden today. I’ve invited someone to admire the lotus flowers.”

Aunt Wu replied, “Yes.”

Because there were important guests at the manor, the other servants were assigned to clean the back garden and help out in the kitchen. Jian Mei and Xiao Ban’s task was to clean the back garden, accompanied by Cancan, the girl with wind-based divine power from yesterday.

Jian Mei was sweeping the floor with a small broom, while Xiao Ban was wiping tables.

The girl stood near them and wasn’t holding any tools. She waved at Xiao Ban and said, “Come over and sweep this too.”

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Listening from the side, Xiao Ban thought Jian Mei would feel disheartened.

But to his surprise, Jian Mei calmly replied, “Does it matter where you work? It’s still just work.”

“I can sweep the leaves into the trash can too,” Jian Mei said as he stepped over to help Xiao Ban, his tone was calm but confident. “What’s the difference?”

The girl seemed a little surprised and was left momentarily speechless.

She had always thought that commoners without divine powers should be meek and submissive, like Xiao Ban. But Jian Mei was different—he carried an edge, with a spark in his eyes that hadn’t faded.

Just as Cancan was about to speak, a servant came over with dishes, cutting off their conversation. Stan Star’s food wasn’t only plentiful but also beautifully arranged. The first plates were cloud fruits and some rare vegetables, followed by aromatic dishes.

Jian Mei took another glance at the cloud fruits and recognized them immediately. Dazhuang-ge often gave them to him; they were sweet and juicy. He used to eat them while doing his homework.

Xiao Ban tugged at him and said, “Hurry up, stop looking. That’s not something we’re supposed to be looking at.”

Jian Mei asked in confusion, “Why not?”

“There’s no real reason for it,” Xiao Ban said, looking surprised by the question. “We can’t afford things like that. To be honest, we might never even get to try them in our whole lives. Those things are basically just toys for the nobles – especially that yun fruit. That’s only for the royal family to serve their guests. Just be happy looking at it.”

Jian Mei asked, “Is it very expensive?”

Xiao Ban nodded his head. “Super expensive. No regular family would ever splurge on something like that.”

Jian Mei fell into a deep thought.

He never knew the fruit was this valuable, but Dazhuang-ge always gave it to him. He always treated him very well.

But now that he thought about it, could it mean that Dazhuang-ge and I are actually in the same place?

Before, they probably needed a spaceship to meet. Now, maybe all it’d take was a high-speed train?

It wasn’t until now that Jian Mei finally came to his senses. Before this, he always felt like he might be dreaming or stuck in a hallucination because everything around him seemed so surreal and unreal. But then, he suddenly came across something from his original world—it was like jolting awake from a deep sleep, the sudden clarity a sharp, agonizing pain.

He missed home so much—his parents, his brother, and Dazhuang-ge. He couldn’t stop thinking about his original body and whether he could ever go back.

Xiao Ban noticed that Jian Mei suddenly looked dejected, so he asked, “What’s wrong? Are you really that upset about not getting the cloud fruit?”

Jian Mei sniffed and replied, “No.”

Xiao Ban tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “What are you looking at? Is that the young master?”

Jian Mei was pulled back to his senses and turned towards where Xiao Ban was pointing. Not far away, he saw a skinny boy in the loft. The boy was in a wheelchair, dressed entirely in black and looked fragile. He was looking down through the railing, his eyes distant.

Xiao Ban whispered, “Let’s go.”

Jian Mei, who was being pulled along, asked in confusion. “Is that the young master?”

“Most likely.” After making sure the girl wasn’t around, Xiao Ban picked up his broom and explained, “I heard the young master here was kidnapped when he was a kid, leaving his leg disabled. The injury was caused by a magical artifact, so the healing priests couldn’t treat it. People say it’s punishment from the gods. Although advanced prosthetic technology is available on other planets, but you know how traditional people are around here—they think that those kinds of things bring bad luck.”

Jian Mei retorted, “So they didn’t treat his leg just because it’s considered bad luck?”

Xiao Ban was momentarily stumped and hesitated before replying, “Isn’t it because it couldn’t be treated?”

What kind of world is this?

As they were about to leave the garden, Jian Mei felt an inexplicable urge to turn back and look again at the boy on the pavilion. The boy looked expressionless, yet his figure exuded a profound sense of loneliness. Being kidnapped or having his leg broken weren’t his faults, yet his entire life would be shaped by these tragic mistakes.

By the time they returned to the backyard kitchen, it was already noon.

Aunt Wu gathered the children at a single large table for their meal, which was simply one bottle of nutrient solution each.

Jian Mei was stunned when he received the bottle of green liquid. However, the other children didn’t seem fazed at all—they all just grabbed their bottles, drank them down in one gulp, and placed them back in their original spots.

Xiao Ban leaned over and said, “Meimei, drink it?”

Jian Mei didn’t want to stand out, so he pursed his lips and gulped down the liquid in one go. It didn’t really taste like much—kind of like water, but with a slightly thicker texture.

Aunt Wu instructed them, “After lunch, everyone should get some rest. I’ll call everyone in the afternoon to assign work.”

The other children had gone to nap, but Jian Mei stopped Xiao Ban and whispered, “Is this bottle of water what we’re supposed to have for lunch?”

“That’s right.” Xiao Ban explained, “This is a nutrient solution. Once you drink it, you won’t feel hungry, and it helps replenish some of the minerals our bodies need. It’s really convenient.”

Jian Mei recalled the lunch in the garden earlier and asked, “Then why do the gentlemen get to eat proper meals?”

Xiao Ban confirmed that Jian Mei must have been seriously affected by that toxic mushroom. He replied, “Because they have money and power. Nutrient solutions are the cheapest and least expensive option. If an ordinary person has even slightly better conditions, who would still drink them?”

Jian Mei remained silent.

He didn’t fit into this world in so many ways.

Xiao Ban noticed Jian Mei looked particularly down today, so he tried to comfort him. “Don’t feel bad. Once we get paid, we’ll save 4 gold coins for tuition and use some of the money to eat out to a meal together.”

Jian Mei smiled softly. He could tell that Xiao Ban was indeed a good person. He nodded slightly and said, “Alright.”

While everyone else was asleep for an afternoon nap, Jian Mei remained awake. His thoughts were filled with memories of home—his mother’s delicious cooking and his brother’s nagging voice. The more he thought about it, the more tears streamed down his face. Everything here felt strange, and he struggled to adjust. But he kept it all in, biting his lip to stifle his sobs, not wanting anyone to notice.

After the afternoon rest, Aunt Wu gathered everyone. “I’ll take you to meet the young master. Today, one of you will be chosen today to serve him. Mind your manners and don’t humiliate yourselves in front of him, understand?!”

“Yes, we do.” Everyone replied in unison.

Everyone wanted to be chosen to serve the young master; working in the study was much easier than doing hard labor in the backyard.

They climbed up to the attic, the numerous flights of stairs enough to make anyone feel dizzy. No one dared to speak for fear of breaking the rules and their footsteps sounded heavy. Each of them carried unease about their future, wondering who the lucky one would be.

Finally, they stopped in the hall and lined up in rows. An old woman came out and pushed a child out from the innermost room—it was the boy in black clothes they had seen in the afternoon.

Translator’s Notes:

I think I might be mixing up some of the fruit names. I can’t for the life of me remember what fruit Lu Xingwang gave to Jian Mei before, lol.

I need to actually read the chapters I wrote. I haven’t even posted the edited ones yet.

But I’ll go back and check if “cloud fruit” was used in earlier chapters. I remember it having something to do with “star” in the original. I’m not sure if I need to change “Master Jiasi” too, but I’ll definitely update it and let you know.

I thought I scheduled this chapter. That’s why I was confused that I didn’t see the updates in Discord lol.